Paul Merson says he was sad to see Steven Gerrard sacked by Aston Villa in midweek and believes that the Midlands outfit were wrong to dismiss their Head Coach.
Villa confirmed that Gerrard had been relieved of his duties in a blunt statement shortly after Thursday night's 3-0 defeat at Fulham. The club have won just two of their 11 Premier League games so far this term and are currently in 17th spot, with goal difference alone keeping them out of the relegation zone.
Gerrard, who succeeded Dean Smith last November, failed to get Villa firing during his brief tenure and was barraged with abuse from disgruntled travelling fans at Craven Cottage, including being told "You're getting sacked in the morning". He didn't even make it through the night.
However, Merson is adamant that he deserved more time to turn things around. And he pointed to the example of Mikel Arteta, who was under immense pressure last year but has since guided Arsenal to the summit of the Premier League.
“I mean, he was under pressure, of course he was," Merson told Sky Sports when discussing Gerrard's dismissal. "But we’ve seen how it worked at Arsenal. You know, how many times did people go on about Mikel Arteta? But he was given time. If you are not given time, you have no chance.
“For me, you should give him time. I don’t know what they were aiming for this season. I thought top-half, maybe. But I’m gutted for him, and I am pretty sad.
“I thought he should have got more time. I mean, some of the mistakes... you go out in the game against Chelsea – in which they did well, Kepa was their best player. But you can be the best manager in the world, but if [Tyrone] Mings is doing what he is doing, then you have no chance.”
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Gerrard also expressed his regret in an Instagram post on Friday evening, less than 24 hours after his dismissal. He wrote: "I would like to thank everyone connected to Aston Villa Football Club, for the support shown to me during my time there. I would personally like to thank the board of directors, the players and all the staff for their hard work.
"To the fans, it is regrettable that it didn’t work out in the end, but I owe you a debt of gratitude for the way you welcomed me into your club, and continued to push the team on during difficult times.
"Aston Villa is a club with a special history, I really wanted to bring back those memorable achievements, unfortunately it wasn’t to be. I wish everyone at the club all the very best for the future. SG."
